A home is a sanctuary – a sacred space to unwind your mind and recharge your body. It is therefore fundamental to consider what impact the design of your space will have on your personal wellbeing.
After visiting the first annual Vancouver Gem & Mineral Show this past weekend, I began to think about how decorating with natural stones and crystals (one of my most favourite design go-tos) can actually offer wellness benefits within the home in addition to a stunning aesthetic.
Seeking further insight into the mindful design behind balance and beauty, I had the pleasure of touring the incredible mineral collection at Crystalworks Gallery in Kitsilano. Crystalworks is Vancouver’s premier destination for crystals, and a locally-owned family business that is internationally renowned for maintaining only the highest standards in quality, ethically-mined minerals for over 25 years.
While I am an avid collector of crystals within my own home and often use them within the dwelling spaces I design, I was admittedly awestruck when I entered the Crystalworks’ West 3rd showroom. The gallery offers the most comprehensive collection of minerals that I have ever had the opportunity to see, with pieces of such a grand scale in size that they command the presence of a sculptural art piece rather than simply a stone.
Due to this artistic quality in their appearance, mainstream design has seen a rise in the use of striking natural crystals within décor over the past few seasons; but the driving factors are not merely visual. For centuries it has been said that crystals store and transmit energy patterns, which give them the potential to affect the energy of their surroundings. Using properly chosen stones within your home can ultimately give you the ability to enhance and correct the energy that flows through it.
As I explored the Crystalworks collection, owners Andrea and Karen Lipsett explained the unique beneficial properties that each of their stones offer, sharing with me where each piece was mined, sourced and hand selected by their buying team. I discovered that working with carefully chosen crystals within design directly affects the energy within a certain space, giving full opportunity to create and balance the feel of a room on a very literal level.
Each room within the home serves a different personal purpose and therefore emits and accepts energy differently; using the right mineral can ensure that your design is working with and for you, both in terms of decor as well as mental and physical wellness.
Considering the main spaces within the homes I design, I’ve learned which stones are best suited where, and why:
The living room
As the primary social room within any home, emotional security and open communication are key here.
Rhodonite is said to enable patience, while encouraging family harmony; Crystalworks offers a Rhodonite stone that suits a design savvy space – a beautifully polished small dish that could house room components or simply hold its own as a décor piece without standing out as an overt crystal.
The other preferred stone for a living/family room is Smokey Quartz, as it is believed to eliminate negative emotions, specifically those brought on by electromagnetic fields (read: our TVs, stereos and other electrical devices create these fields most prominently in this room).
My favourite Smokey Quartz within the gallery was a seemingly architecturally-inspired crystal that could easily carry the art focus of the room with its grand size and structured silhouette.
The bedroom
The bedroom is the most important room within a dwelling space – personal harmony is required in order to peacefully recharge and allow yourself the space to rest.
There are two crystals that I believe are essential to this personal sanctuary: Rose Quartz and Citrine. Rose Quartz is known to be the stone of love, whether in relationships, friendships or self-love; it is also said to help in healing emotional wounds via your heart chakra and overcome grief.
One of the more popular ways to use this stone in the bedroom is to place three smaller crystals under your mattress, which is believed to attract new love or reignite the existing. Similar to the Rhodonite, Crystalworks offers a polished Rose Quartz dish – a perfect décor piece for the bedroom that offers functionality alongside its beauty.
The Citrine piece from Crystalworks, however, does not share in the subtlety of this dish; boasting extraordinary size, this natural Citrine (as in, not heated or treated as many saturated Citrine stones are) would make a statement piece for the room. Citrine has been used throughout history as a calming stone, offering up a sense of comfort even when you are alone; these affects have ultimately led to Citrine’s reputation as the “happy” crystal. And let’s face it, who doesn’t want to be happy in the bedroom?
The home office
For the business centre of the home, clarity, logic and practicality are of high importance.
One of the strongest crystals in terms of both popularity and ability is Amethyst. Well known for its symbolism for success, this gemstone energetically aids in the generation of ideas, as well as thought implementation. The most stunning Amethyst in the gallery was a larger Amethyst “flower burr”, which is as unique as it is beautiful.
Amazonite is the other relevant stone for any study; this stone is believed to assist in stress management, allowing intuition and practicality to rule the financial and business related decisions within the home.
Crystalworks has a highly detailed example of Amazonite, a vibrant reminder that all of these crystals are a natural resource, each one individual representations of the environment in which they formed.
